Policy brief: co-operatives and global supply chains

Co-­operatives, as economic operators, have been involved in global supply chains since their origins. The co-­operative business model itself was born as a way to shorten supply chains, eliminating intermediaries, either by aggregating producers (e.g. farmer-­owned agricultural co-­operatives) or consumers (e.g. consumer-­owned food retail co-­operatives). The major difference between co-­operatives and other business models in terms of supply chain intervention is that co-­operatives integrate their values and principles into those supply chains, and not just to reap the economic benefits. This Alliance policy brief, published June 2016, provides the context and lists co-operatives' added value in this debate and policy asks.